Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1963)

10-TELEVISION DIGEST MAY 6, 1963 TV-RADIO PRODUCTION: EIA statistics for week ended April 26 (17th week of 1963) Apr. 20-26 Preceding wk. 1962 wk. '63 cumulative Black & white TV 138,536 131,801 131,543 2,285,072 Total radio 355,989 312,176 352,278 5,543,150 Auto radio 145,257 135,276 123,233 2,528,084 '62 cumulative 2,200.201 6.098,498 2,137,627 JAPAN PINS HOPE ON TV: TV is shining new star in Japanese export firmament, judging from predictions emanating from Tokyo which envision TV shipments overseas increasing more than all other categories. Decision of Japanese govt, to waive domestic commodity taxes on transistor TV from May 1, 1963 to March 31, 1966 is expected to increase purchases by Japanese, leading to production and lower export prices. Tax on sets with screen sizes less than 20-in. has been 10.32% of retail list price; tax wasn’t imposed on exported sets. EIA of Japan estimates production of transistor TV sets will total 600,000 units this year, of which 240,000 will be exported at average FOB export price of $82 a set. In 1964, EIAJ forecasts increase of total output to 1.2 million, with 600,000 exported at $71 each, and in 1965 total would rise to 2.4 million, of which 960,000 would be exported at average of $60. Meanwhile, Japan’s Ministry of International Trade & Industry released new 5-year plan for electronics industry, forecasting increase of 171% by 1967 to $3.2 billion output (increase from 1957 to 1962 was 300%). In its forecasts of 1963 exports, MITI sees TV leading consumer electronics growth, rising 44% over 1962 to $31.8 million (or approximately 500,000 sets at current prices). Modest growth of 1.4% in radio exports (to $163.2 million) is predicted, with radio-phono exports going up 10.1% to $12.6 million, recorders 26.1% to $47.7 million. February factory sales of TV picture & receiving tubes declined sharply in both units & dollars from Feb. 1962, EIA reported. Unit sales of TV picture tubes dropped to 636,392 from 733,670 a year ago. Dollar value slumped to $11,990,596 from $13,944,313. Receiving tube sales declined in units to 26,382,000 from 27,977,000. Dollar value fell to $22,354,000 from $23,841,000. Here are EIA’s figures : Picture Tubes Receiver Tubes Units Dollars Units Dollars January 890,246 16,846.046 27,025,000 22,524,000 February 636,392 11,990,596 26,382,000 22,354,000 Jan.-Feb. 1963 1,526,638 28,836,643 53,407,000 44,878,000 Jan.-Feb. 1962 1,536,731 29,569,617 57,588,000 48,647,000 “Integral Circuit Package” (ICP) is new name chosen for microelectronic products^ — at least for marketing purposes— by EIA’s Marketing Services Dept, as result of nearly year of study by 50 manufacturers working under EIA’s semiconductor marketing services committee. ICP will be over-all designation for circuits identified by such terms as microelectronics, microminiaturization, integrated, modular, functional, etc. Calling ICP “the most important techno-economic trend in the electronic industries,” committee developed series of definitions to permit measurement of various products composing this market. Radio Imports Up, Too: Exports of transistor radios from Japan to U.S. took another jump — nearly 24% — during first 2 months of 1963, as compared with same 1962 figure. This Japanese govt, tally follows recent report that U.S.-bound shipments of TV sets during 2-month period increased almost tenfold from comparable 1962 figures — 52,578 units vs. 5,290 (Vol. 3:15 p8). Exports of toy transistor radios (fewer than 3 transistors) and tube radios, however, were down about 43 % each during first 3 months of year, while radio-phono & recorder shipments increased substantially. Here are unit & dollarvolume Japanese exports to U.S. for Jan.-Feb. 1963 (with unit shipments for same 1962 period in parentheses) : Transistor radios (3 or more transistors), 939,587 at $7,180,538 (vs. 760,302 last year) ; tube radios, 123,312 at $794,833 (215,490); toy radios, 298,762 at $751,858 (529,115) ; tape recorders, 229,344 at $2,528,161 (148,623) ; radio-phonos, 19,841 at $917,919 (9,868). Meanwhile, U.S. Customs figures on imports during the 2-month period, as compiled by Electrical Merchandising Week, showed 32,278 TV sets entering U.S. from Japan, valued at $1,948,042, and 79,251 transistor radios from Hong Kong at $312,479, plus 33,664 transistor radios from Okinawa at $140,731. (This is first year Customs is compiling figures on TV set imports.) Average prices of transistor radios continued their decline in this year’s figures. For 2-month period, average billing price of transistor radios exported from Japan was $7.64, compared with $9.19 for full-year 1962 and $10.60 for 1961 CV'ol. 3:6 p7). Transistor radios imported from Hong Kong dipped to slightly below $4 average, from $5.19 last year and $6.28 in 1961; Okinawa average sank to $4.18 from $5.15 in 1962 and $6.01 in 1961. Philco claimed a basic color patent last week when Patent Office dismissed 13-year-old interference proceedings by RCA and granted patent to Philco as assignee of inventors Wilson P. Boothroyd & Edgar M. Creamer Jr. Boothroyd, former Philco electronic engineering mgr., is now with Sylvania; Creamer is mgr. of Philco’s advanced development engineering lab. Patent, which Philco claims is essential to NTSC method of transmitting & receiving color, relates to process of superimposing color information on b&w information within same 6-mc channel. Under terms of last January’s RCA-Philco patent license settlement (Vol. 3:1 p7), RC-A will have non-exclusive license for life of the patent. Philco officials said they hadn’t .vet determined whether they will seek back royalties from other manufacturers or how they would attempt to license others under the patent. Channel Master has cut prices on 12 transistor radios from $2 to $20. Leader 6-transistor set now has $14.95 list and $12.95 minimum retail price.